Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Merry Christmas! I'm back with some more last minute gift ideas. Many of these you can find in your local yarn shops or craft shops like Joann's or Michael's. These gifts would also be great for birthdays or swaps. At the end I share with you some of my favorite non-knitting-related online shops that are also giftworthy. Hope you enjoy the video. Leave me a comment down below, and I hope to see you again soon!
LINKS TO THINGS I TALKED ABOUT:
Ewe University Gift Ideas Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL51z6Jae0u0QA6CyHWqTzxVDxo4BFzcs4
Dritz Comfort Thimble: tinyurl.com/3a8jjmny
Yarn Valet Stitcher's GPS Set (sold out at Knitpicks but here's another store): knitnpurl.com/yarn-valet-gps.html
Prym Yoga Cable-Stitch Needles: tinyurl.com/yvt8t38u
Luxe Snap-on Faux Fur Pompoms: barrettwoolco.com/products/luxe-snap-on-poms?variant=39551154061361
Kitchener Stitch Wooden Tag: tinyurl.com/2p9cmd7w
Coco Knits Needle Gauge: tinyurl.com/57e84h87
Knitter's Pride Magnetic Knitter's Necklace: tinyurl.com/2p9h35h5
Arch Ravels Game: tinyurl.com/2s3btd5x
Mannequin Head: tinyurl.com/2s3btd5x
Big Sully: tinyurl.com/4y5py7uu
DPN Case: tinyurl.com/mrytza74
Fixed Circulars Case: tinyurl.com/3szn5eyv
Nest Starter: uncommongoods.com/product/wool-nest-starter
Knitter's Pride Mindful Collection: woolandcompany.com/needles/knitters-pride-mindful-collection
Indigo Perfumery: indigoperfumery.com
Cocofloss: cocofloss.com
JetPens: jetpens.com
La Papierre: etsy.com/shop/LaPapierre
Agendio: agendio.com
If you want to see my Agendio planner: agendio.com/referrals-welcome/F19gKp_1639858562
**This video is not sponsored.**
Ravelry: goo.gl/M2z96P
(If you are not already a member, you should definitely join--it's free.)
My Monkey (who's always peeking out from somewhere in the background in my videos) was made for me by my friend, Gail. She used this pattern: goo.gl/BaWF2W
SUPPORT THE SHOW: goo.gl/pCBHx6
My Etsy shop provides financial support for my YouTube channel. I don't accept paid sponsorships, so everything I review I purchase myself. Your patronage of my Etsy shop helps out with the expense of buying products to showcase and review on Ewe University. Thanks so much for your support of my channel.
✔ E M A I L
halcyarn@gmail.com
✔ WRITE TO ME
Kristine Kelly
P.O. Box 74
Monmouth, IL 61462
If you are passionately curious and never get tired of learning new things, new skills, new ideas...I hope you enjoy watching my videos and learn something. Have a sparkly day!
Merry Christmas! I'm back with some more last minute gift ideas. Many of these you can find in your local yarn shops or craft shops like Joann's or Michael's. These gifts would also be great for birthdays or swaps. At the end I share with you some of my favorite non-knitting-related online shops that are also giftworthy. Hope you enjoy the video. Leave me a comment down below, and I hope to see you again soon!
LINKS TO THINGS I TALKED ABOUT:
Ewe University Gift Ideas Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL51z6Jae0u0QA6CyHWqTzxVDxo4BFzcs4
Dritz Comfort Thimble: tinyurl.com/3a8jjmny
Yarn Valet Stitcher's GPS Set (sold out at Knitpicks but here's another store): knitnpurl.com/yarn-valet-gps.html
Prym Yoga Cable-Stitch Needles: tinyurl.com/yvt8t38u
Luxe Snap-on Faux Fur Pompoms: barrettwoolco.com/products/luxe-snap-on-poms?variant=39551154061361
Kitchener Stitch Wooden Tag: tinyurl.com/2p9cmd7w
Coco Knits Needle Gauge: tinyurl.com/57e84h87
Knitter's Pride Magnetic Knitter's Necklace: tinyurl.com/2p9h35h5
Arch Ravels Game: tinyurl.com/2s3btd5x
Mannequin Head: tinyurl.com/2s3btd5x
Big Sully: tinyurl.com/4y5py7uu
DPN Case: tinyurl.com/mrytza74
Fixed Circulars Case: tinyurl.com/3szn5eyv
Nest Starter: uncommongoods.com/product/wool-nest-starter
Knitter's Pride Mindful Collection: woolandcompany.com/needles/knitters-pride-mindful-collection
Indigo Perfumery: indigoperfumery.com
Cocofloss: cocofloss.com
JetPens: jetpens.com
La Papierre: etsy.com/shop/LaPapierre
Agendio: agendio.com
If you want to see my Agendio planner: agendio.com/referrals-welcome/F19gKp_1639858562
**This video is not sponsored.**
Ravelry: goo.gl/M2z96P
(If you are not already a member, you should definitely join--it's free.)
My Monkey (who's always peeking out from somewhere in the background in my videos) was made for me by my friend, Gail. She used this pattern: goo.gl/BaWF2W
SUPPORT THE SHOW: goo.gl/pCBHx6
My Etsy shop provides financial support for my YouTube channel. I don't accept paid sponsorships, so everything I review I purchase myself. Your patronage of my Etsy shop helps out with the expense of buying products to showcase and review on Ewe University. Thanks so much for your support of my channel.
✔ E M A I L
halcyarn@gmail.com
✔ WRITE TO ME
Kristine Kelly
P.O. Box 74
Monmouth, IL 61462
If you are passionately curious and never get tired of learning new things, new skills, new ideas...I hope you enjoy watching my videos and learn something. Have a sparkly day!








![Five Ancient Textile Technologies That Science Forgot
Think your wardrobe is cutting-edge? Think again. While the modern world is completely dominated by just two fabric structures—weaving and knitting—our ancestors were engineering textile technologies that were warmer, stretchier, and structurally superior to anything we mass-produce today. They used basic materials like river mud, palm tree leaves, and pieces of bone to solve complex problems in geometry, chemistry, and mechanical engineering.
In this episode of Ewe University, we step into the archaeology lab to uncover five incredible, long-lost fiber arts from around the globe:
Sprang: The prehistoric, zero-rubber precursor to modern spandex.
Nålbinding: The indestructible, unravelable textile favored by Vikings.
Kuba Cloth: A plush, asymmetrical luxury velvet woven entirely from tree leaves.
Bogolanfini: An unbelievable display of organic chemistry using fermented riverbed mud.
Tablet Weaving: High-strength, pocket-sized engineering powered by a simple deck of punched cards.
From ancient Egyptian hairnets to traditional West African chemistry, lets explore the mind-blowing science hidden inside the history of craft.
READING LIST
1. Sprang
Collingwood, P. (1974). The Techniques of Sprang: Plaiting on Stretched Threads. Watson-Guptill Publications. [Check your local library; I was able to get it via interlibrary loan.]
Hald, M. (1980). Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials. National Museum of Denmark. [Check your local library.]
2. Nalbinding
Bender Jorgensen, L. (1992). North European Textiles until AD 1000. Aarhus University Press. [Check your local library.]
Karp, C., & Decker, A. M. (2022). Three objects catalogued as vantsöm in the collections of the Museum der Kulturen in Basel, Switzerland. Archaeological Textiles Review, (64), 55–63.
https://tidsskrift.dk/atr/article/view/166603/207701
3. Kuba Cloth
Adams, M. J. (1978). Kuba Embroidered Cloth. African Arts, 12(1), 24–39.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3335378
Mack, J. (1980). Bakuba Embroidery. Textile History, 11(1), 164–174.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/004049680793691194
4. Bogolanfini
Rovine, V. L. (2001). Bogolan: Shaping Culture Through Cloth in Contemporary Mali. Smithsonian Institution Press. [Check your local library.]
Limaye, M.V., Bacsik, Z., Schütz, C. et al. (2012) On the role of tannins and iron in the Bogolan or mud cloth dyeing process. Textile Research Journal, 82(18), 1888-1896.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0040517512452955
5. Tablet Weaving
Collingwood, P. (1982). The Techniques of Tablet Weaving. Faber & Faber. [Check your local library.]
Ræder Knudsen, L. (2015). Early Iron Age Tablet Weaving in Denmark. Archaeological Textiles Review, 57, 118-122.
https://tidsskrift.dk/atr/article/download/167063/208091/372573
#FiberArts #WeavingCommunity #TextileArt #SlowCraft #HistoricalCrafting #FiberArtist #YarnNerd #Archaeology #AncientHistory #AncientTechnology #ExperimentalArchaeology #HistoryNerd #TextileHistory #FashionHistory #MaterialScience #ScienceIsCool #OrganicChemistry #PhysicsOfFabric #SmartTextiles #Sprang #Nalbinding #KubaCloth #Bogolanfini #MudCloth #TabletWeaving #CardWeaving Five Ancient Textile Technologies That Science Forgot](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W-bcYbtb5ME/mqdefault.jpg)

